Cold plunging and June Challenge

Important: Before engaging in this or any health and fitness trend/activity/fad/random thing you saw online - make sure to check with your health care team to make sure it’s a good choice for you!

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Cold plunging has been trending for a while now, and if you haven’t given it a try yet, you might be wondering: does it actually work? or is it all a fad?

One thing I can tell you for sure: whether through the placebo effect, positive thinking, or just believing that it does actually work, cold plunging has been working great for me.

A quick Google search will leave you with a long list of touted benefits:

• Enhanced immunity

• Better circulation

• Reduced inflammation

• Boosted mood

• Increased metabolism

• Better sleep

• Faster recovery

• Decreased muscle pain

• Joint pain relief

• Improved insulin resistance

• Relieving depression

• Elevated Energy

• Weight loss

• Improved skin and hair health

• Decreased swelling

• Boosted mental health

• Increased mental clarity

• Endorphins boost

• Improved muscle repair

• …And more.

And while there’s plenty of studies and anecdotal evidence online supporting these claims, one thing is for sure, I definitely notice a positive difference in the following areas when I cold plunge regularly.

• better mood

• increased energy

• better temperature regulation

• better cold tolerance

• decreased soreness in joints and muscles

• increased optimism

• increased confidence in myself

• increased resilience in daily life

• general increased feeling of wellness

So I thought it would be fun to do a cold exposure challenge for the month of June, to kickstart your cold exposure journey!

June Cold Exposure Challenge

Starting June 1st, the challenge is simple - get cold!

We’ll start with 10 seconds of cold water immersion. You choose whether that’s in a cold plunge, turning your shower to cold for the last few seconds, in an ice bath, or out in a cold lake or river - or any combo you like.

Each week we will increase the time so that by the end of the month, you’re doing a whole minute on the last day!

• Week 1: 10 seconds

• Week 2: 20 seconds

• Week 3: 30 seconds

• Week 4: 40 seconds

• June 30th: 1 minute!!!

  Tips:

• Week 1 is June 1-8th.

• You don’t have to start with a tub full of ice to get all the great benefits from cold exposure. Anything under 15 degrees is perfect. A good starting point is between 10-15 degrees. Most homes have cold water running in the shower at anywhere between 6-12 degrees, so that’s perfect!

• Dunk in real fast or ease in nice and slow - do whatever is easier for you. The goal is to keep it at a level that you can maintain each and every day - so go easy on yourself.

• When you’ve completed your goal time for the day, ease yourself out of the cold water/shower, dry off and allow your body to warm itself back up naturally. You might get tingles, or warm-ness feeling all over - woohoo! You did it!

  Need your own plunge pool? See the one I use here!

  (PLUS get 15% off when you use code: RENEE07360)

  That’s it!

Make sure to share your journey on socials using the hashtags #sirenruckclub and #badmotherruckers so I can find you and share! :)

Want to Start Working Out But Have No Idea Where to Begin? Start here...

POV:

You want to start working out regularly, but have no idea where to begin, what to do or how often to do it.

TRY THIS!

This super simple routine, done 3 days a week on non-consecutive days can help get you moving:

Super Simple Workout

• 10 wall pushups

• 10 squats to a chair

• 10 backpack rows

• 10 static lunges per leg

  Repeat the entire workout 3 times.

A few helpful notes:

• If the wall-pushups are too easy, you can progress to counter pushups (hand on the kitchen counter), or even to hands on the stairs. As you get stronger, you can move down a step, until eventually you’re performing pushups with your hands on the ground.

• Backpack rows can use anything you could lift as a weight. For example: a shopping bag with some cans, a backpack with some books, a big bag of rice, dumbbells/kettlebells/sandbag if you have them, etc. As you get stronger, add more items/weight.

• With the static lunges, only go down so far as is comfortable to start. As you get stronger, and get used to all your stabilizer muscles keeping you balanced, you will find you have a greater range of motion and can get your knee closer to the ground.

• If you’re starting exercising for the first time, or coming back after some time off, it’s always best to check with your doctor before you begin any program or fitness routine.

Already been working out consistently for a couple months and not sure what to do next?

Try a few workouts from here!

Or, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive, personalized plan, hit me up with a DM or email and let’s create a great program for your specific goals and lifestyle! I’d love to hear from you!